Passing along the ridge we pitched upon a spot that seemed favourable, and commenced making a hut, but owing to the trees having no leaves of any size, we were at a loss for materials for a roof. I had, however, brought one small Kajang or leaf-mat with me, expecting some such difficulty, and we managed to pass the night under it; the rain incessantly pouring down, and the position being so cold and wet that sleep was out of the question for any of the party.

We managed to keep fires alight all night, and sat through the dreary time anxiously waiting for daybreak. No one can form a correct opinion of what the shape of Mount Dulit really is until it has been seen from the top. It is evident that this vast table-land provides a home for many living creatures, that would not probably be found on a mountain whose sides were steep and ending in a peak.

On October 18th seven Punans, a tribe residing near the Parah River, on hearing shots, came up to our hut. These are the only natives that ever ascend the mountains of their own accord, and they only in search of india-rubber and camphor. They told me that they had been working in the jungle and recognised me the day before, although we had not seen them. I gave them presents of tobacco, etc., which they much appreciated, and they left us.

The following morning they returned, bringing with them three more, telling me that if I was collecting specimens, they would be willing to assist me with the blow-pipe, ("sumpitan"-or as they call it, "put"). They brought with them a fine monkey (Semnopithicus rubicundus) and a horn-bill (Buceros rhinocerus), which they had shot with this weapon on their way. I was very glad of their assistance, and they remained with me and procured many valuable specimens both of birds and mammals. One morning one of my Dyak hunters returned, declaring that he had heard a tiger. Being very unwilling to believe this, and wishing to convince them that no tiger exists in Borneo,* I took a Dyak and two Punans with our guns, and having walked half a mile in the direction pointed out to us, we heard a strange booming noise, very loud it is true, but not much resembling the roar of a tiger. I asked the Punans what they thought it was, and they replied "Jawi," toad. As we came up to the spot, the noise seemed to resound through the rocks, and sure enough, between the crevices, was a toad of gigantic size, bellowing lustily. As we tried to catch him, he backed further into his hiding-place until he was out of reach, and we were obliged to give up the hope of securing him; but a few days afterwards we procured a fine specimen of this toad, which measured 14 inches round the belly, and 3 inches across the head. It had a hard, rough black skin with warty excrescences on the back. These warts contain a poisonous

*I am not aware that a tiger has been found in Borneo, although the skull of one is reported to be in the house of a Singgi Dyak in Upper Sarawak.

fluid, some of which a Punan took, and placing it in the toad's mouth, destroyed the creature, and its skin is now in the British Museum.

I began my descent of the mountain on October 26th, and was glad of the assistance of these friendly Punans, who helped us to carry down my collection. On reaching the store, we packed up and rested there for the night. Next morning we had to travel slowly as the packages were very heavy, and stopping to rest for a short time at a deep pool beneath the waterfall, 1500 feet above the level of the sea, I found that the pool contained small fish (Gastromyzon borneensis) which were causing curious marks upon the stones at the bottom. These marks were produced, I found, by the fish adhering to the stone by means of a sort of sucker on its breast which prevented it being washed away by the force of the stream. We tried to catch them for some time with our hands, but without success, when an ingenious Dyak produced a piece of thread, which he tied on the end of a stick, and with a small piece of brass wire which he bent into a hook, it looked as if he meant business. We then searched for worms but found none. The Dyak, however, was not going to give up so easily, and sitting down on a stone, he proceeded to take out his knife and cut small pieces off the sole of his foot! with which he baited the hook, and was not long before he landed a fish, which was, doubtless, unable to resist so tempting a bait. We now all made similar hooks, and applied to our friend for bait. Having caught about half-a-dozen of these fish, I put them in spirit and continued our journey.

In the evening we arrived at the house of Aban Lia, and on going inside I found a musician seated in the middle of the verandah surrounded by an audience of about forty persons. The instrument which he was using was a flute (silingut) made of bamboo, on which he played not in the usual way with his lips, but through his nose! The notes produced were softer and clearer than the ordinary flute (ensuling) which is played with the mouth, and the man was certainly a skilful performer. Finding, however, that much of his wind escaped through the other nostril, he tore out the lining of his pocket and blocked the offending outlet with a small plug of rag. He assured me that his nose, which was undoubtedly a musical one, was slightly out of order, as he had only just recovered from an attack of influenza, but that sometimes he was able to move his audience to tears.

Next day we paddled down river over the rapids, and continuing our journey through the night, arrived at Claudetown on the evening of the following day, having spent a very enjoyable, and on the whole successful, six weeks in the Highlands of Borneo.

The jungle products of the Baram River are, rattan, gutta-percha, indiarubber, beeswax, camphor, and edible birds' nests. The minerals. found in the district are gold, cinnabar, silver, antimony, iron, coal and precious stones.

There are sixteen dialects spoken in the Baram district, the most important being Kayan, Kenniah, Punan, Kalabit, Narom, Sibop, Brunei Malay, and Malay. I subjoin ten words as an example:

English. Kayan. Kenniah. Punan.

Kalabit. Narom. Sibop.

Brunei
Malay.

Malay.

Wild pig baboi.
Man. daha
To walk panoh
A fish.

bawi. bakas. bakar. san
kalunan ulun . lumulun ideh ulun. jilama manusia.

bakas. bai

babi utan.

masik

massat malakau nylan.
siluang luang. luang.

malahau malakau jalan.
futar. enjin .

jalan.

lauk.

ikan.

:

After the reading of the paper the following discussion ensued:Dr. BOWDLER SHARPE: I have before now been asked to speak a few words on those occasions when travellers come home, and not only delight the Geographical Society with an account of their journeys, but have also been known as contributors to the national collections in the British Museum. From a naturalist's point of view, I am seldom able to speak very well of the results which attend British expeditions to foreign countries. If it is a German expedition or a French expedition we always find that the Governments of those countries consider it necessary to attach to them a competent naturalist, and I yet hope to see the English Government alive to the necessity of following the example of other nations; but, luckily for England, we possess in the service of our chartered companies and in the service of native Governments, such as that of the enlightened Rajah Brooke, young Englishmen who make up for these deficiencies on the part of our own Government: such for instance are Mr. F. J. Jackson, of the Imperial British East African Company, and Mr. H. H. Johnston, the Commissioner for Nyasaland, who has been most energetic, as most of you know, in sending from his new province to the British Museum wonderful collections of the natural history of those countries which he rules over. Here is au instance in which, thanks to the energy of an Englishman, the country does not suffer in the way of science; and we find the same result when such a ruler as the Rajah of Sarawak encourages energetic men, like our friend Mr. Hose, not only to explore the district over which he rules, but to make collections of the animals and plants of the country. This Mr. Hose has done, and although we have not heard much of it in the paper, I trust I may be allowed to have two minutes to tell you some of the results of Mr. Hose's energetic collecting in these wild countries, and the importance of them I can easily demonstrate. A few years ago a young Englishman, Mr. Whitehead, on his own account and after great difficulties, managed to ascend the great mountain of Kina Balu, high up in the north of Borneo, and from there managed to get a wonderful number of new animals, birds, and insects. We were well acquainted with the ordinary forms of animal life of the lowlands of Borneo, which are very similar to those of the lowlands of Sumatra and [Java and the Malayan Peninsula; but when once Mr. Whitehead got above 3000 feet on this mountain, he discovered something

totally different, something totally unexpected-we were face to face in Borneo with a Himalayan fauna, a fact of tremendous interest. We thus found that the fauna of the Himalayas extended through the high mountains of the Malayan Peninsula from Tenasserim to the high mountains of Sumatra, and continued once more into the highlands of Java and Borneo. To Mr. Hose is due the fact that we know that this Himalayan fauna extends in the highlands of the latter island to an extent before unexpected. In this expedition, which he has so modestly referred to, he has discovered some new forms of animal life which have carried our knowledge of this Himalayan fauna much further than before. That, in a few words, I think sums up the results of Mr. Hose's scientific work. I cannot tell you of the numbers and the importance of the species he has discovered; but it so happens that one of his most beautiful discoveries has been taken for me as illustrations to one of my lectures, and I have taken the liberty of bringing some slides for exhibition.

Loriculus, or Hanging Parrakeet.-I. The connection between the Malayan, Javau, and Sumatran is easily shown by certain forms of bird-life, and Loriculus is one of the forms which mark the connection with the Indian fauna. These little parrakeets are no bigger than a sparrow. II. In the honey-guide (Indicator) we have a bird once more occurring in Borneo and the Malay Peninsula, and although it is poorly represented in these Malayan countries, it is well represented by six or seven species in Africa. III. This is one of the ordinary Broad-bills (Eurylamus) of the low countries, where side by side with it is found another little green bird called a Calyptomena. When Mr. Whitehead went up Kina Balu he came upon a splendid bird there which I called after him, Calyptomena Whiteheadi; but Mr. Hose, on this mountain Dulit, has not only found this extraordinary bird, but has been so fortunate as to discover another species of the genus, which I have named after him, and it is one of the most remarkable birds we know, on account of its combination of colour. The other species of Calyptomena are green, but Mr. Hose's has a light blue breast; and, as if that were not enough, we find on closer examination that at the side of the tail it also possesses more bright blue feathers, generally hidden by the green of the rest of the plumage, and evidently intended as an extreme form of ornament, as it is only found in the male bird. In these few words I hope I have shown you that, in addition to the geographical discoveries, Mr. Hose has also contributed greatly to our knowledge of the fauna of the country he has travelled over.

The PRESIDENT: I think we have had a very agreeable evening. We are extremely obliged to Mr. Hose for his paper, and to Mr. Seebohm for having read it. Mr. Hose has also introduced a very admirable innovation by exhibiting his skill upon various musical instruments. I am afraid we shall not be able to insist upon all the readers of papers also playing the organ. Mr. Sharpe's remarks were, as they always are, very much to the point, very informing and very valuable. You will, I know, desire me to thank every one of the gentlemen I have mentioned in your name and in my own.

Mr. HOSE'S MAP.-The coast-line of the map has been taken from the latest Admiralty charts. The summits of the principal mountains have been verified by Mr. Hose and the position of others obtained by bearings and distances. The rivers and paths have been inserted from sketches made by Mr. Hose on the spot when frequently travelling over the same ground. All the positions given in the paper have been embodied in the map.

EXPEDITION UP THE JUB RIVER THROUGH SOMALI-LAND, EAST AFRICA.

By Commander F. G. DUNDAS, R.N.*

THE River Jub, which I navigated in 1891 for 400 miles, discharges its waters into the Indian Ocean, on the East Coast of Africa, in lat. 0° 14' S., long. 42° 38′ E., almost on the Equator. Its lower course is in a southerly direction; the upper part of the river has not been explored. It probably rises in the mountainous region of Abyssinia. As it is the actual boundary between the British and Italian spheres of influence in East Africa, it is of considerable interest, as also in connection with the ill-fated expedition of Baron von der Decken. In August, 1865, he ascended this river in his steamer the Guelph (having lost one steamer on the bar at entrance) to the rapids above Bardera, where the vessel was wrecked, and the Baron, with five of his European colleagues, was murdered by the Somalis, two only effecting their escape No further details have ever transpired in connection with the fate of this expedition, I being the first European who has been to Bardera since the catastrophe. The narrative of Von der Decken's expedition is well known. I hope during my recent journey that I have added something to the present knowledge of this highway to the populous districts of the Gusha territory and the rich tracts of the Boran country.

Colonel Chaillé Long, on behalf of the Egyptian Government, is reported to have made the ascent of the river for some 100 miles; but although Von der Decken's expedition was remembered and spoken of by the natives on the river, nothing was known of any other European having ever been seen. I may here recall the fact that I commanded the expedition fitted out by the Imperial British East Africa Company for the exploration of the River Tana, and the unexplored region about Mount Kenia in 1891, an account of which was read before this Society in a Paper compiled from my Journal by Mr. Ernest Gedge in April last.

Whereas the course of the Tana is almost entirely confined to the countries of the Wapokomo and Wakamba tribes, who are quiet and peaceful, the River Jub flows through the territories of the powerful and hitherto dreaded Somalis.

The stern-wheel steamer Kenia, belonging to the Imperial British East Africa Company, in which I made the ascent of both rivers, is 86 feet in length, with 23 feet beam, drawing 2 feet 6 inches loaded, having six compartments, with an upper deck, and deck houses fitted with wire

* Read at the Evening Meeting of the Royal Geographical Society, December 19th, 1892. Map, p. 288.

No. III.

MARCH, 1893.]

P